Bengals' QB Andy Dalton gets more offensive firepower with rookies

The Cincinnati Bengals were denied a playoff victory for the second consecutive year because they had little offense other than that provided by A.J. Green, the NFL’s best young receiver. To change their fortunes—at least, that’s the hope—they took the best tight end and best running back in the 2013 draft.

The first- and second-round combination of Green and quarterback Andy Dalton in the 2011 draft helped turn Cincinnati back into a playoff team. This year, first-round pick Tyler Eifert and second-round selection Giovani Bernard can provide the necessary 1-2 punch to make the Bengals a playoff winner.

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, along with rookie running back Giovani Bernard, could give the Bengals they playoff push they need. (AP photo)

Eifert is 6-6, 250, and Bernard is only 5-9 and 208 pounds. Physically, they couldn’t be more different. Their goal, though, couldn’t be more alike: make it a lot easier to be Green and Dalton.

The speedy Green has emerged as a premier deep threat in a short time, and for a young route-runner, it's most impressive how he has fought through constant double-teams to get open often for Dalton.

When they went with Eifert-Bernard back to back, the Bengals had eyes on players who could take advantage of Green's attention in the numbers game.

"They both have great skills and will help us in a lot of ways," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. They ought to have good opportunities to win one-on-one matchups. That's what you need. Football at times just comes down to winning the one-on-ones, keeping the sticks moving."

As moving targets, Eifert and Bernard will cause a whole new set of problems for defenses.

The Eifert Tower

Eifert, the winner of the John Mackey Award for college's best tight end and a vital part of a Notre Dame offense that played for the BCS national championship, was expected to go in the mid-to-late first round. The Steelers (No. 17), Giants (No. 19) and Bears (No. 20) were all in the mix, but it was a surprise for Eifert to go No. 21 to the Bengals.

Cincinnati already had a Pro Bowl-caliber tight end in Jermaine Gresham, who was taken No. 21 overall in '10. But adding Eifert was a sign the Bengals were a good enough team elsewhere to make a "luxury" pick and bring a special dimension to their offense.

"I was excited—I didn't expect to get drafted here," Eifert said. "When you look at the roster, we have a lot of young guys who make plays. It's fun playing next to those guys."

Watch Notre Dame games from 2012, and it was easy to spot Eifert. He was their most reliable receiver, and often seen dwarfing a pair of defenders draped to him in coverage. Even when he got Green-like treatment with the Irish, most balls that were thrown his way, he went up and got it. With the space Green clears stretching the field, Eifert is set up to remain a strong third-down and red zone option.

"It's more natural," Eifert said of that ability. "I don't really know how to work on it. When you're running drills, you try to high-point the ball when it's underthrown. The more you do it, the better you become."

Eifert came from a well-called offense with Brian Kelly, and joined another one with Bengals coordinator Jay Gruden. The difference is he no longer needs to worry about getting the concentration of the coverage. Eifert has been a quick study in a pro attack and has the physical tools to make an immediate impact.

"We have many concepts and move guys around in a lot of different spots," Eifert said of Gruden's offense. "It was fairly simple to pick up and understand. It's player-friendly."

Go Gio Go

No running backs went in the first round of the 2013 draft, and it wasn't a sure thing that Bernard would be the first off the board. Watching his most sensational highlight from playing for North Carolina last season, however, it should have convinced any team to give him that status.

Bernard returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown to knock off rival NC State with 13 seconds left in a game last October. His day also included 230 more yards from scrimmage.

The Bengals have a strong, more traditional running back in BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Bernard is listed at the same position, but the Bengals will put him everywhere in 2013. Given he's already so comfortable with a dynamic hybrid role, it's a good familiar feeling.

"The biggest thing for me is being as versatile as possible," Bernard said. "I don't want to be a guy who can just do one thing. I pride myself in doing a lot of things well, catching a lot of balls."

When you consider that's he's joining Green, Eifert, Gresham and others, Bernard's combination of strength and 4.53 speed is worthy of the track team the Bengals have assembled.

"This offense is jam-packed with athletes, guys who can spread the field.," Bernard said. That's what Coach Gruden is trying to do: use every part of the green grass, take up all the spots on the field."

Dalton's ability to get so locked into Green during the 2011 lockout is what accelerated the effectiveness of the Bengals' offense. The quarterback has shown steady growth since, and is ready to be a more diverse distributor in '13. Used to looking to Green often—59 percent of the passes thrown Green’s way were completions—Dalton will look at Eifert and Bernard as more than checkdowns.

"You can kind of put them anywhere," Dalton said of the rookies. "Tyler is a guy who's played in the slot and you can put him out wide. Gio, he's a good change of pace back."

The Bengals have thrived on throwing to Green, but needed the rest of the offense to catch up with the NFL's elite teams—all of whom are passing powers. Going young got them in the AFC race; going younger will get them closer to the finish line.